'Dancing With the Stars' recap: Prom night!

By Allyssa Lee

April 2, 2013 12 AM PT

Those tuxes. The flowers. That hair. Yes, it’s prom night at “Dancing With the Stars.” “Or as I call it, ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time’ night,” quipped host Tom Bergeron. The host had on a powder blue tuxedo complete with blue ruffle shirt that seemed like a re-creation of his own 1977 fete. No, “this is not an April Fool’s joke,” the host assured.

“I really wore my hair like this,” admitted co-host Brooke Burke Charvet, outfitted in a bright fuchsia ruched formal number and teased-out hair that only the 1980s could love. In fact, “The Audubon Society has officially declared Booke’s hair a nesting habitat,” Tom joked.

And the “DWTS” producers really got into the theme of the night, with balloon arches, voting for prom king and queen, and even an on-set photographer. In the tradition of high school dances everywhere, there was even an introductory dance in which the couples formed an enormous circle and performed individual solos within it to Fatboy Slim’s “Rockafeller Skank.”

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Ratcheting up their step count and their position on the leader board were Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough. And theirs was a “Footloose”-themed prom, with a jive set to the 1984 and 2011 films’ (the latter which starred Derek’s little sis Julianne) rollicking anthem. And their jive was footloose and fancy free, starting with a huge slide that went down the length of the grand ballroom staircase and included many swings through the legs into the splits. In the rehearsal footage, country singer Kellie felt the pressure to live up to the high scores they received the week before – and not to get an irritated “wasp face” from her exacting partner. Luckily, the only thing buzzing was the audience after the toe-tapping treat. “There’s nothing loose about that performance,” said Bruno. “Crisp, tight, precise – you’re sharper than a samurai sword.” Carrie Ann called the routine “ridiculously amazing,” though “every once in a while your knees got a little stiff.” Len said Kelly was “flying around like a wasp at a picnic” and said Kellie had welly, whatever that meant. The head judge also crowned her queen of the prom and rewarded her with a huge 9 paddle. Total: 25 out of 30.

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Ooh, Jacoby Jones. You may have spiked the “DWTS” punch and got kicked out of your own prom, but man you more than made up for it with your rumba with Karina Smirnoff. Not just made up for it: You did your high school, a victim of Hurricane Katrina, proud. Jacoby and Karina started out on opposite sides of the dance floor, but when they came together, it was hard to tear the eyes away from this intimate routine. The NFL star has great wingspan, great carriage and he carried his partner throughout the routine and like a champ at the end. The dance had the women screaming their approval, and Andy Dick was seen mouthing “so good” up in the skybox after the performance. “Jacoby the great and powerful! You were smoldering like a volcano of passion,” crowed Bruno. “Watch your foot placement, but otherwise, brilliant.” Color Carrie Ann impressed. “You have a way of connecting to the music, and I got pulled into it,” she said. “That was hot, sensual.” Len was “absolutely shocked” that the routine had “a refinement. It had a quality of movement, it had mood, it has atmosphere.” And it has a ton of fans. Total: 24 Jacoby “That my baby!” Jones for prom king?

Zendaya’s never been to the prom before. But her grandmother has, and since she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, Zendaya and her pro partner, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, decided to hearken back to 1957 and re-create moments from her grandmother’s prom in 1957, dancing to “Que Sera, Sera,” staying positive and in the moment and decide that whatever will be, will be. “I just want to make her proud,” the Disney Channel star said. And I think she did that, with a sweeping Viennese waltz that started on a gondola and was filled with swoops and twirls. “That was as enchanting and charming as Venice in the moonlight,” Bruno praised. “A couple of stumbles, but overall, beautiful.” Carrie Ann highlighted the “incredible lyrical quality” to Zendaya’s movement. “The emotional connection to every single move is beyond your years.” Len liked how the “Shake It Up” star moves effortlessly, but thought there was too many over-the-head arm sweeps, and “I’d like to see a little bit more in the hold.” Zendaya and Val only received three 8s for their dance – not their highest score, but it more than made up for it when Zendaya hugged her grandmother in the crowd. “I’m just glad that she’s here.” Maybe she can share prom queen with Kellie.Total: 24.

Olympian Alexandra Raisman’s grueling gymnastics training schedule didn’t allow for many dances, but she did go to the prom, and her date was “super cute.” There apparently weren’t any waltzes at this dance, because counting in 6s was new to her, and Aly’s getting flashbacks and feels like she’s in math class all over again. That AND trying to get the romance of the routine makes her feel like “my brain is going to explode.” Luckily, cooler heads prevailed in her Viennese waltz with Mark Ballas and the only thing exploding were hearts as they danced across the ballroom floor (though who was that cupid at the beginning of the routine?). “You know what hit the spot? Cupid’s arrow,” said Bruno. “You move really really well, but you express it well for someone so young.” Carrie Ann also loved Aly’s movement quality, but suggested she work more “on staying a little more in the character.” Len said he wasn’t so impressed with the Olympic champ’s dancing… “April Fools!” Oh, Len. That pink ruffle shirt and polyester suit has made him such a kidder. Total: 23.

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Boxer Victor Ortiz said he found being in the bottom two “embarrassing” and “degrading.” To add insult to injury, he didn’t even get to go to the prom “I was broke,” he said. “I was just a street kid at the time.” Well, Victor got to kill two birds with one stone with Lindsay Arnold this week, redeeming his prom memories and his bottom-two standing with a very involved, lift-heavy contemporary routine set to John Mayer’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.” The dance had Carrie Ann in giggles. “What just happened? Victor, you’re a dancer!” she squealed. “That was breathtaking … every movement has meaning.” Len also was “pleasantly surprised.” I thought the lifts were very very good,” he said. Though “in between the lifts was not so good.” But he said it was Victor’s “best dance so far.” The dance had Bruno on his feet. “You’re a dancer, mate!” he praised. “Sentimental, wonderful ease of movement, total involvement. You make your partner proud.” Not bad. Not bad at all. Total: 23. “It’s not an April Fool’s joke, is it?” Victor asked.

Ingo Rademacher and Kym Johnson were tasked to do the paso doble: “a strong powerful dance for a strong powerful guy.” Ingo’s prom was boring, so he’s trying to make this his fantasy. Kym didn’t really get a prom, so she got to play both sides of this dance card and made off both as the prom queen and the one who ran off with the bad boy. Only, it’d had been a while since Ingo had been to the prom, so he didn’t realize the physical demands it required of his body. “It’s tough being old,” Kym commiserated to the 42-year-old. Still, Ingo rode in like “rhinestone Sons of Anarchy” on a big red motorcycle with a bedazzled helmet full of sparkles to steal Kym the prom queen from her podium and took her for a ride on the dance floor. Carrie Ann said Ingo really “threw the power into it” but he needed “to do your core stronger.” Len agreed, though he said “there’s more to cheer than jeer” in the routine. Bruno was on board for this prom fantasy (“it is a very strong fantasy”), though he cautioned Ingo to have “refinement in the shapes.” Ingo’s a lucky guy: Not only is “General Hospital,” the soap that made him famous, celebrating 50 years, but the guy also known as Jax has also got four wives (including his real one), sitting in the audience to cheer him on. Plus, he scored three 7s. Total: 21.

Real Housewife of Beverly Hills Lisa Vanderpump and her heretofore unknown partner Gleb Savchenko weren’t so much into prom as they were trying to get viewer votes. “We’re desperate,” she said. Lisa’s dog Giggy has been doing all he can, but there are only so much tweeting support you can drum up without opposable thumbs. Bottom two couple Lisa Vanderpump and Gleb Savchenko realized they needed to increase their votes if they’re going to have a chance in that competition. “Get out on a billboard naked!” Lisa suggested. “Get your kit off.” In case their naked ploy for votes didn’t pay off, Lisa and Gleb also prepared a Viennese waltz, a nice sweep of a routine under a sparkly starry light sky that ended with Lisa in Gleb’s arms at the end. Giggy liked it, and was seen at his smartphone tweeting his approval immediately afterward. Len said the dance “was free and easy … you had an air of lightness to it,” thought he warned Lisa to work on her posture and footwork. Bruno compared Lisa to Empress Josephine “walking around the mirrored halls of Versailles,” he said. “Much more at ease … but you missed a few passes.” Carrie Ann said Lisa and Gleb were elegant and “beautiful to look at,” but suggested Lisa also stay more in character. Total: 21

Sure, it makes Peta Murgatroyd nervous to see Bachelor Sean Lowe so awkward the first days of learning a new routine. But you’ve got to give it to Sean: what he lacks in dance moves, he makes up in gumption. And how can you not root for that? Especially when doing the Village People favorite “YMCA.” Len said Sean “exploded onto that floor.” Sure, it was a little pigeon-toed. But Len called it “your best dance.” “Sean, it seems like you’ve pleased Len, but I think you’ve pleased me even more,” said Bruno. The cat’s out of the bag:” You can definitely entertain. … Clean up the footwork and finish the move.” “One thing missing in that routine,” said Carrie Ann. “Bruno.” To which Bruno said: “Let’s do it again!” “Believe me, he was there in his mind,” Tom quipped. Total: 21.

So Andy Dick is a clincher. When he gets nervous, he freezes up and has a tendency to hold partner Sharna Burgess’ hand with a crushing death grip. “I have to think, or I’m going to rip your head off accidentally,” he fumed. Luckily, Andy calmed down and Sharna made it out with her hands intact. And as if to celebrate Sharna chose to wear a skin tight Catwoman suit that showed off her dangerous curves for her first prom. Andy played the guy spurned by “Megan” over text, and Sharna worked with the rejectee to get his sexy back, with the help of Rod Stewart. It ended with Andy sliding on the floor, chest bared (“I don’t drink anymore, but I always carry around a six-pack,” he informed Brooke). “Oh yes, let it all hang out!” Bruno encouraged. “Timing: a bit off. Placement: A bit odd. Entertainment value: Fully on.” Carrie Ann said that she enjoyed how Andy tries with his whole body and soul. Len likened Andy to a sneeze: “You know it’s coming, but there’s nothing you can do about it.” Len also conceded that Andy can’t dance, “but what you do is you make me feel good,” he said. “I feel better after watching you, [but] any connection to the cha cha was a coincidence.” Total: 18.

D.L. Hughley channeled James Brown’s “Sex Machine” for his salsa with Cheryl Burke. Though the comedian already feels like he’s operating on borrowed time. While the judges had him on death row, the Supreme Court (the fans) gave D.L. a stay of execution. And who knew? D.L. was a prom date for hire way back in the early 1980s. Sadly, the judges weren’t so keen on buying him as a salsa dancer. “If you’re a sex machine, I’m America’s next top model,” Len groused. “This wasn’t a salsa … it was untidier than a teenager’s bedroom.” Bruno agreed with Len, and encouraged D.L. to “get the hips going.” “What you looked like was almost a hip replacement,” he said. Carrie Ann blew the other judges raspberries. “I see the improvement!” she exclaimed. Still, Carrie Ann suggested D.L. go to a club and “let loose … you have to work on your musicality.” To D.L.’s credit, “it’s hard for me to move my hips,” he said. “Every time I did I had a baby. … it reminds me of child support.” Sure, D.L. kind of moved like he had bricks on his feet. But I didn’t think the musicality was that bad. Total: 16.

Wynonna thought the samba set to Def Leppard was the perfect vehicle to let her wild child out. It was rock, it was pole dancing, and it was “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” But while the country singer wanted to “make Bruno go rawr,” What she wanted was “permission to unleash my inner tigress.” Maybe that permission slip got lost in the mail, because despite Tony Dovolani’s Rock of Ages hair, the pyrotechnics, and the Def Leppard live in concert peek, the samba that resulted was a bit staid. “We got wild outfits, wild pole dancing, but the rest of the dance was kind of a whisper,” Carrie Ann said sadly. “I didn’t see it go up a notch this week.” Len said Wynnona was like “Mount Rushmore: You look magnificent but you don’t move.” Bruno looked as though he wanted to do the gyrating for her. “It was a bit sedated for a performance,” he said. “You’ve got to hit it hard, darling.” Total: 15. Ouch.

Will Wynonna’s lack of movement get her booted off the competition? Or will D.L.’s unyielding hips do him in? What did you think of prom night, ballroom fans? Fun romp, or did it not live up to expectation? How happy were you to see Dorothy Hamill cheering front and center for the cast?

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